Earth Day
Dear Editor: What an astoundingly beautiful place we live in. It can take my breath away sometimes when I look out upon our rich ocean and vigorous forest, the habitat we call home.
I believe in a future that values the wonders of this earth in their simplicity and their complexity. A future where we humans learn from our experience and mistakes. A time when the wellbeing of the whole matters a lot.
I would like to thank everyone in our community who acts with regard to the health of the home we inhabit. There are many among us doing what they can and showing that they care. Together we can overcome challenges that at first seem daunting. Along the way we can realize benefits for everyone.
Thanks to all of you.
Kent Barkhau, Sitka
Plastic Pollution
Dear Editor: Earth Day’s theme this year is ‘‘End Plastic Pollution.” Here in Sitka, we are reminded on a daily basis of the network of life that supports us. Trees bring rain, rain turns to snow, snow melts in summer and brings in the salmon, which feed the berries, the birds, the bears, and the trees. Then it begins again, feeding itself, and making efficient use of any waste. Indeed, a thriving ecosystem doesn’t have waste, because everything created is useful to someone or something. On Earth Day, we take stock of our place in the ecosystem. Where do the things we need to survive come from? Where do they go?
Plastic waste is in the headlines for taking up a space many times the size of our little ‘‘rock,’’ while we grapple with the costs of moving food in, and waste out. A lot of the plastic in our oceans could be used again, and a lot more is out there because it’s not designed for more than one use. These growing continents of plastic illustrate that what we do, as individuals, can add up in a big way. Earth Day in 2018 is a day for us all to ask ourselves what we can do differently. For example, how much could we save in shipping costs if more of our groceries came up in bulk form rather than individually wrapped? Could we ask for cottage cheese and yogurt only in recyclable plastics 1 and 2? Would our supermarkets be willing to do their part? Let’s ask them! And let’s let them off the hook on bags for groceries too! Bring your own and help everyone save!
What else could we be doing? Well, just like the plastic gathering in the ocean, the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels gathers in the atmosphere, warming the earth at a rate that makes it hard for us to adapt. Thanks to the urging of Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), and the leadership of the Assembly, Sitka is now the 84th city government to support a national carbon fee and dividend system aimed at helping us all reduce emissions, and make a transition to clean energy. The same citizen skills and leadership will help address plastic pollution too. Curious about the CCL? You can find out more about this bipartisan approach to climate change on the Sitka chapter’s Facebook page.
Yours in hopes of a cleaner and more affordable world,
Leah Mason, Kay Kreiss,
Lisa Sadleir-Hart, Marian Allen, Barbara Bingham,
Judith Kearns-Steffens
and Kent Barkhau
(Citizens Climate Lobby)
Charles Bingham
(Sitka Local Foods Network)
